A few final favourites of mine and then it's time to pack it all away.
1. Southwell
The Bramley apple was discovered here in 1856 and it has the absolutely fabulous Minster. TYM mentioned that it's now a cathedral which I hadn't realised, but I should know by now that he's usually right with his facts and indeed it has been since 1884. There's so much to see both within and without, but it's particularly famous for all the different types of carved leaves in its 13th century chapter house. I did chuckle when one of the stewards sneaked over to me and said 'I see that you've found our Donald Trump....😂. It's a rather shifty looking character and I shall say no more🙊
2. Vindolanda
This museum is absolutely incredible. Due to the layer upon layer of earth that built up over time as the Romans rebuilt the fort nine times an accidental, but perfect set of anerobic conditions were created which has preserved all sorts. The small selection here show Lepidina's Slipper which is a very expensive sandal made by Lucius Aebutius Thales in Gaul. Yes it has the maker's mark on it! Many of the shoes on display show signs of repair, but not this one...when the toe thong broke it got chucked out. The horse mask is made of cow hide with a soft leather lining and is called a chamfon. The boxing gloves are a very rare find. One glove is larger and is stuffed with grass and bracken whilst the other one hides a nasty surprise for contained within is a coil of leather designed to inflict injury along with a hard leather edge which acted a bit like a blade. A most brutal sport. Now we've all had things arrive which have got broken in the post, but this is not a new phenomenon. This Samian dinner service arrived smashed from France. It got thrown into the rubbish pit, but the new owners must have been very disappointed. The final shot is of a hair piece made from the local hair moss. It has properties which repelled insects.
3. Hexham
You can't go to Hexham and not talk about the abbey. It started out life as a cathedral from 678-821 and the Frith stone stool may very well be the original Bishop's Cathedra [seat] which Wilfred could have brought with him in 674 when he first established the abbey. 'Frith' is an Anglo Saxon term and meant 'peace, security and freedom from molestation' and would have originally stood near the high altar. Those attempting to escape from danger would have sought sanctuary and safety there, The church is awash with several 15th century paintings which, when considering how much damage was done during the destructive times of the Commonwealth, are in themselves a fabulous survival. Annoyingly I now find that I managed to miss the danse macabre set, but it always happens that way. Indeed I also failed to spot that the central figure on Rowland Leschman's famous tomb [he was the prior from 1480-91] is tricephalic and actually has a skull hidden on one side. I must instead console myself that I saw many other wonders that day!
4. Beamish Museum
Well what can I say. The initial outlay seems quite steep, but if you're local it does give you access all year round and it's just amazing. We allowed one day...how naive were we! Last time I went I was 8 months pregnant and that had been enough time, but it has expanded hugely since then, so this time round we actually went back the next day as we'd have never got round it otherwise. I was a little startled to see that the dinner service my Nana had [I have got the teapot and my parents are still using the rest of it] was on display in one of the 1950s houses. I felt even more on an old codger when I overheard that there are plans to bring in stuff from the 1980s. Talk about 'Living' History😂
5. Harrogate
This was our final stop off on the way home and we spent the last night just across the road opposite this rather amazing modern pyramid. To be honest I had expected to fall in love with the town and in the end it didn't really float my boat. Don't get me wrong it's a charming place, full of high end shops, but after a couple of hours of endless Victorian architecture I'd had my fill. We did enjoy our flying visit though. Those two shifty characters in the pub made me smile and I was far more pleased that I should have been to discover Trotter's Bar up a side street which has been gently lowering the tone for more than 30 years. It made the perfect end to our trip away and who am I to grumble when you get to have a Spoons breakfast in the Winter Gardens😋
Next time there will ramblings about more recent amblings. Thanks for bearing with me.
Arilx
No comments:
Post a Comment